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Melissa and Jens Moeller

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Contact the owner directly to confirm reservation details and pay with an approved method (credit card, check, or bank transfer), to protect your payment up to $1,000.

Overview

Dominical Villa Rental Photos and Description

Welcome to Villa Casa Bonita, where you will enjoy affordable luxury in a perfect location! Nestled in the jungle, where the mountains cascade to the sea, high enough to enjoy the cool ocean breezes, yet an easy 5-minute walk to spectacular beaches, Casa Bonita is the ideal getaway. Whether it's swimming in the infinity pool, dining al fresco by the pool in the moonlight or at any of numerous casual or fine restaurants, relaxing on the palm-fringed beaches or taking advantage of the many water sports and other outdoor activities available, or simply swaying in a hammock to the music of the jungle and ocean, Casa Bonita has something for everyone. Vacation in the utmost comfort, with 4 large bedrooms (3 with private balconies), a fully equipped kitchen, a large screen TV and DVD player, cable TV programming, Wi-Fi, and all the comforts of home. Maid and chef service are optionally available.

Description of the house: Villa Casa Bonita was lovingly designed to be an extension of the outdoors, to give its guests the sensation of being outside even when indoors. The front of the house opens to the spectacular sight and sounds of the ocean, and to lush landscaping, while the focal point of the back of the house is the gorgeous 18-ft waterfall and grotto garden carved out of the mountain. The palm roof, sky-blue ceilings in many of the rooms, adobe-style architecture, and the many unique, nature-inspired artistic features add to the sense of being surrounded by nature. The surrounding jungle is home to many exotic species of wildlife: white-faced monkeys, toucans, parrots, and hummingbirds, to name a few. You can luxuriate in the gorgeous infinity pool, explore the surrounding jungle, or watch the wildlife from the comfort of a hammock or rocking chair on the veranda.

Amenities: While nature is the inspiration for Villa Casa Bonita, modern conveniences are part of your luxury vacation, and we do our best to provide you with all the comforts of home. For entertainment indoors, there’s a large screen TV with cable programming and DVD player, internet access, and an assortment of games, DVDs, and books . The fully equipped kitchen includes a dishwasher, microwave, toaster oven, slow cooker, blender, coffee pot, and cappucino/espresso maker, in addition to the refrigerator, range, and oven. Laundry amenities include a full-size washer and drier, iron, and ironing board. We provide all linens, and hair driers and toiletries are available for your use. We also provide pool and beach toys, and plenty of beach towels, chairs, and umbrellas.

Activities: There are endless opportunities for outdoor entertainment as well. Of course, Dominical is most famous for the beauty and powerful surf of its spectacular beaches, just a 5-minute walk from Casa Bonita. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf, here’s your chance; there are a number of surf schools in Dominical to choose from. There are also many other activities we can help arrange for you in and around Dominical, including scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, jungle tours, waterfall tours, a visit to the Parque Reptilandia (Reptile Park), whitewater rafting, tubing, mountain biking, ATV tours, yoga, and massage. Dominical and the nearby towns of Uvita and Ojochal are also home to many excellent restaurants, ranging from casual to fine dining.

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About Melissa and Jens Moeller

My husband and I bought Villa Casa Bonita in May, 2011, as a future retirement home. We'll retire in about 10 years, but until then wanted to rent it as a vacation home to others, and share our love of the beach! We've been going back and forth to Costa Rica for many years now (my parents retired in Costa Rica about 25 years ago, so we visit as often as we can). We know you'll enjoy Villa Casa Bonita as much as we do, and look forward to welcoming you!

Melissa and Jens Moeller purchased this villa in 2011

Why Melissa and Jens Moeller chose Dominical

We love Costa Rica, having visited many times already. Our dream was to retire by the beach, and have been fortunate enough to find Villa Casa Bonita, which is in a perfect location. With the beach and surrounding mountains and jungle, as well as a charming little town just down the road, there are many activities and opportunities to enjoy ourselves in the area, so it's an ideal vacation spot!

Guestbook comments from the owner

This rental home far exceeded our expectations. The photos truly do not do it proper justice, you really must be there to really appreciate it. And, boy, are we glad we went! The pool, the waterfalls, the birds, hammocks,. amazing views and sounds, lizards galore, and what a kitchen! We cooked every night. As first time travelers to Costa Rica, we really weren't sure where to go or what to do, aside from what we read in travel books etc. Casey and the gang at the office were so helpful! They were only a call away, and answered questions, gave advice and suggestions, even set up some memorable excursions for our group. A few of our favorites were don lulo's waterfall, snorkeling, "windows" beach, and the boat tour to corcavodo. Dominical is beautiful. You can walk from the house down to the beach in under 5 minutes, and shops, food, etc are barely 1 mile down the road. We felt very safe exploring all around this area. In addition, the process of setting this vacation up was absolutely seamless. Melissa and Jens made it so easy. They were great at answering questions and got back to us promptly every time. One thing I will say... It may be worth it to fly to quepos. We drove from San Jose, and while we enjoyed seeing the country it made for a very long trip!

based on 19 traveler reviews

A little piece of Paradise!

5
of 5

We visited Casa Bonita from Feb 18 -25th. It was absolutely beautiful! This was our first time renting and it was everything we hoped for and more. The house and property are absolutely breathe taking. The view from the porch is amazing, the bedrooms all had their own theme and were amazing, lots of together space too. . Our very favourite thing was the waterfall. There was something for our whole family. We enjoyed having Romulo cook for us and he was very helpful in so many ways. The owners were very helpful with all the information they provided for us before we went, from outings to favourite restaurants. We spent many hours in the pool enjoying the view out to the ocean. There wasn't anything any of our family would have changed. It was fun and relaxing all at the same time. It's the perfect get away! Our whole family hopes to return to Casa Bonita in the very near future!

Rain forest meets beautiful home

5
of 5

Casa Bonita is one funky place - a really, really wonderful funky place. If you are looking for something plain and uninspiring, please move along elsewhere. The unique layout and design of this house is truly outstanding. You are fortunate to be located a couple hundred feet from the main highway, yet get no traffic sounds. What you will hear is the sound of the ocean in the distance and a chorus of jungle sounds at times, especially at night. And you get to see the ocean, too, through the lush and ample landscaping surrounding the property and the wonderfully large infinity pool. A short 5 minute walk gets you to the closest beach. More often than not, no one else is there. The birds outnumbered the humans every time.

Moving to the inside, there are 4 larger bedrooms and there is lots of elbow room in each shower. There were only 4 of us staying for 10 days, but it was an embarrassment of riches when it came to space. The kitchen is well stocked and has large cooking areas. Impromptu meals often took place at the bar. You could also eat at the large dining room table or relocate to the multiple chairs and tables on the covered decks. The jungle theme of the house keeps you grounded to where you are: the rain forest.

Dominical is a short 2 minute drive; Uvita about 15. We loved the surf lessons at Bodhi Surf School in Uvita and would gladly take them again. Down to earth, nice people. Boogie boarding and safe swimming was found at Playa Hermosa just 10 minutes to the south. It was our go to beach. Don't miss the local waterfall and rope swing past the school just a few minutes drive away.

The concierge, Romulo, is excellent. He is a busy worker and helps maintain the property most days. He will arrange a wide variety of side trips/activities all the way down to basic things - mentioning his name saved us 25% on boogie board rentals for the week. He cooks wonderful meals, too. We had great food (highly recommend Por Que No, Chappy's and Roadshack Deli) but our best meal was the one cooked by him one night. Very authentic, fresh and to die for.

Finally, don't forget to hit up Melissa and Jens for information. They already have quite a bit listed on their links and it all seems pretty accurate. They are also easy going and good to work with.

Our planned return trip to Costa Rica in a few years will already be partially hassle free - we've picked our next rental and no question it will be Casa Bonita.

Great Vacation!! We loved Casa Bonita!!

5
of 5

We spent a week at Casa Bonita with our 3 adult sons, daughter-in-law, 2 grandchildren and my sons girlfriend. The house was amazing, the children loved the pool and the adults loved the view. There was more than enough room in the house for everyone to have their privacy. We chose Dominical because we wanted to be on the coast, close to the mountains and out of the city. Casa Bonita was perfect for our family. It was really nice having wifi at the house, we had no cell service. There was a family medical emergency at home, it was nice to be able to stay in touch by email. Casa Bonita was an easy drive from the airport thanks to GPS and all the information the owners gave us. We rented 2 SUV's for the week. We had no problems and always felt safe on our trip. The people we met in Dominical were very friendly and helpful.

Romulo the concierge was very helpful. He was always available if we needed his assistance. He came by the house several times during the week to clean the pool, maintain the property and check on us. Anytime there was a small problem, he did his best to solve it. Romulus bought groceries for us and cooked dinner the night we arrived. He is a great chef and shared recipes with my sons.

We visited Manuel Antonio National Park, our family loved the monkeys and raccoons. One person in our group said it was the best $ 10 we spent in Costa Rica. Romulo arranged a white water rafting trip for us, we had a great time. The guides were excellent. We also took an ATV tour through the mountains. On both theses tours you see the true beauty of Costa Rica.

There are many great restaurants in the area, our favorite was Por Que No. You must try their stuff French toast if you are ever in the area. My sons watched the World Cup games at Tortilla Flats and visited the rum bar.

We were very worried about the rain when we left Houston. On every weather site they had predicted 40 to 70% chance of rain for everyday we were there, but it just really rained every night so it didn't interfere with our activities.

The owners gave us so much information, answered all our questions and was always available by email or phone. I was a little uneasy about wiring money but there were no problems. We received our deposit 3 days after we got home. We would like to thank Melissa, Jen and Romulo for helping us have a perfect Costa Rica vacation. We look forward to visiting again.

Spacious, beautiful with incredibly relaxing view!

5
of 5

Casa Bonita is an amazing home away from home! The pictures truly don’t do it justice. The house is very spacious and comfortable, the grounds are beautiful, and the pool is huge! We had three generations enjoying Casa Bonita, and it was fun and relaxing for all. Walking distance to a beautiful wide beach with great surf, and a view of the Pacific that we could stare at forever. The location was perfect for us: away from the tourists, but very close to great food…we ate in a different restaurant every night, and we’re still talking about how delicious the food was. Casa Bonita is an easy drive to Manuel Antonio National Park (a MUST see!), and an easy drive the opposite direction to the best zip-line tour I can imagine (Osa Canopy tour). We felt close to everything, without being in the center of it all…great privacy, and our concierge Romulo was outstanding! He’s very attentive, and has excellent advice on everything you’ll want to know. His advice really made our zip-line tour and Manuel Antonio NP adventures the best they could be.

Great views here include wildlife: Iguanas and Toucans abound! You are in the jungle here, so there are some insects around, but nothing bothersome in the house. Cool and comfortable A/C in all the bedrooms, which was really nice at night, but there's usually a great breeze as well. If you want to enjoy the real Costa Rica, and have an exceptionally wonderful and comfortable home base, Casa Bonita is the place to be.

Memorable Family Vacation

5
of 5

Our family of twelve spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica near the town of Dominical, headquartered in beautiful Casa Bonita. We chose the Dominical location because we wanted the combination of mountains, jungle and sea. We chose Casa Bonita because we wanted a large house with a view, situated in jungle, within walking distance of the ocean.

My son tells me that I selected Casa Bonita because, as well as being beautiful, it looked a little ‘funky’ in the photos. This could be true since I am drawn to houses with personality and artistic flair and this house has that, as well as outstanding architecture and design – inside and out. The setting is spectacular in that the back of the house is built against a high rock-face with a waterfall but from the front porch the view expands to pool, gardens and sea - a great location from which to watch the sun set.

Casa Bonita easily accommodated our group. The four bedrooms are large as are the bathrooms and extra beds were provided for the younger children. We prepared the majority of our meals in the kitchen often using the barbeque on the veranda. We bought most of our groceries in Uvita. One evening we hired Casa Bonita’s Concierge/Chef, Romulo Picado, to prepare a Costa Rican dinner. He and his assistant cooked the meal in the kitchen which allowed the foodies in the group to observe and learn. Great meal. Fun occasion.

The six children spent hours in the pool and since the pool does not have a deep end, our four-year-old was as safe in the water as the older kids. On many mornings, we walked to the beach below the house to build sand castles and climb the huge rocks. Since there is an undertow we chose to visit Playa Dominicalito (the next beach to the south) at the end of the day to play in the huge waves. The town of Dominical offered surfing lessons to the great delight of one of the ten-year-olds, vendor stands for the kids to buy trinkets and a restaurant right on the beach for a light lunch.

Our visit to this region was everything we hoped for. The choice of Casa Bonita proved to be inspirational. Not only did we love the house but greatly appreciated the services of Romulo Picado, the concierge and the exceptional personal attention we received from the owners, Melissa and Jens Moeller, from our initial contact to our departure. They may live far away but their love for their vacation home and their pleasure in sharing it with others is strongly felt. Thank you.

Even Better Than We Expected

5
of 5

From the time our van pulled into the driveway, we were delighted with our choice of Casa Bonita. Marion, the property manager showed us through the house, and there were constant "Awe!"s from all of us. We felt the online pictures didn't do it justice. There is art everywhere, and a sense of fun in the decor. Loved the waterfall and water garden enjoyed through the two story hall windows and the huge shower windows.

We are a family seven including grandmother and three children, and the separated four bedroom layout with individual bathrooms and balconies provided lots of room. We loved the spacious well supplied kitchen for shared cooking, a dining area that accommodated us all, and the two relaxing sitting areas. Having the covered porch overlooking the pool and ocean for morning coffee or watching the flashing storm at night was another bonus.

The pool was great. It was uniform depth at shoulder height for our 4 year old so he was completely safe, but deep enough that our 8 and 10 year olds and the adults also had fun. Well supplied with a floating net, balls and floaters, it provided both fun and relaxation when we returned from other activities.

We also enjoyed the beach which we could see through the trees, and was a five minute walk away. We had great fun jumping in the waves and floating on the floaters to catch the surf here as well.

Marion was helpful assisting us in lining up activities to further explore this beautiful area. We went kayaking with Dominical Surf Adventures in a mangrove swamp, horseback riding to Nauyaca Falls, and ATV riding to another falls. The guides pointed out so many things we would have missed on our own, and were great with the kids. Our experience in Coast Rica showed us the Costa Ricans are friendly and welcoming and seem to really enjoy children. It made it fun for all of us.

Map

Nearest Barpub

150
Metres

Roca Verde

Nearest Restaurant

150
Metres

Roca Verde

Nearest Beach

200
Metres

Playa Dominical

Car: recommended

Dominical is most famous for the beauty and powerful surf of its spectacular beaches, just a 5-minute walk from Villa Casa Bonita. If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf, here’s your chance; there are a number of surf schools in Dominical to choose from. There are also many other activities we can help arrange for you in and around Dominical, including scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, jungle tours, waterfall tours, a visit to the Parque Reptilandia (Reptile Park), whitewater rafting, tubing, mountain biking, ATV tours, yoga, and massage. Dominical and the nearby towns of Uvita and Ojochal are also home to many excellent restaurants, ranging from casual to fine dining.

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

2015 Green (up to 4 guests)

Apr 15 2015 -
Aug 31 2015

3 night minimum stay

$310

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

2015 Low (up to 4 guests)

Sep 1 2015 -
Dec 14 2015

3 night minimum stay

$210

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

2015 High (up to 4 guests)

Dec 15 2015 -
Dec 19 2015

5 night minimum stay

$465

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

2015 Holiday (up to 4 guests)

Dec 20 2015 -
Jan 2 2016

5 night minimum stay

$580

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

2016 High (up to 4 guests)

Jan 3 2016 -
Apr 14 2016

5 night minimum stay

$465

Notes: Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest

Additional information about rental rates

Refundable damage deposit

$500

Tax Rate

13.0%

Notes

Rates are based on 4 guests; add $30 per night, per additional guest. We may ask for a reservation/security deposit of $1000 for rentals of 2 weeks or longer.
To hold a reservation, a $500 reservation/property deposit is due within 7 days of booking (the deposit is refunded following your departure). The rental rate is split into 2 payments, 50% due 60 days before arrival and the other 50% due 30 days before arrival. The deposit can be a personal check, but rental payments need to be wired to our Costa Rican account in order to comply with tax laws.

Payment is usually accepted in the quoted currency (USD) unless the currency and the amount is specifically agreed in advance with the owner / advertiser.